Teenage Delinquents and Quasi-Vigilantes
by Victorian Asylum
Summary: A series of Modern AU one-shots in which Probending is an underground fighting ring, the Krew gets caught up in crime-fighting and Korra can't get her girlfriend's father to see her as anything other than a delinquent. Will be updated sporadically, and will go in no particular order.
1. Date 'n Slush

**#1: Date 'n Slush**

"Jesus," Mako said, squinting at her in the dim light, voice raised to be heard over the klaxon around them. "You okay? You took some nasty hits."

Korra raised a hand to her nose, careful not to aggravate it farther. It didn't feel broken, but it sure as hell was bruised. She did her best to stem the flow of blood that had been steadily streaming since her opponent had landed the smarting blow. She winced when she her hand came in contact with the injury. "Yeah. That guy punched like a howitzer, man."

Seeing as his friend was in no immediate need to be rushed to the emergency room, Mako smiled slightly and leaned back. "Well, at least you managed to dodge most of his blows. I'd rather not have to take you to the hospital. Again."

"I thought for sure you were going down when you took that roundhouse to the ribs," Bolin chimed in.

"You and me both," Korra answered. That was another blow she'd certainly feel I the morning. She was already sore from it's effects half an hour after it happened, the simply act of breathing creating sharp stabs of pain along the expanse of her lower ribs. It was a blow she couldn't avoid, his last attack had off put her enough to break her balance, and her recovery time was just slow enough so the mountain of a man could land a solid blow. He'd knocked the wind out of her, and it was a miracle she'd gotten up in time or she'd have been out. "Ack, Spirits that hurt though. I need a drink."

"Alcohol and injuries don't seem like a good idea," Bolin said.

Korra gave him a half-hearted punch on the shoulder, muscles still burning with exertion. "Not that kind of drink, I mean a slushie. I need 64 ounces of syrup flavored ice pronto."

After gathering a few bandages and more than a handful of tissues, the group clambered inside Mako's car a were off. Korra leaned her head back against the seat, tissues pressed against her nose, the bleeding steadily slowing down. When she got home, she was going to crawl into bed and stay there for at least three days. Movement of any kind any sooner than that, she thought, just might kill her. It was only a short drive to the nearest convenience store, and by that time, the bleeding had stopped, and Korra looked presentable enough, for someone out at nearly midnight.

Inside, she went straight for the slushie machine, choosing the biggest cup she could find, and mixing every available flavor into a rainbow colored mess. Beside her, Bolin was funneling raspberry slushie into a smaller cup, and was glancing over his shoulder back at the register every few seconds. "Hey," he finally said, angling his head to look at her. "Guess who's workin' the register."

Korra shrugged, too busy creating the perfect drink to bother looking back. Besides, her neck was too sore anyhow. "Who?"

Bolin grinned. "Asami."

At that, Korra froze. Asami Sato was heir to one of the biggest car manufacturers in the country. Her family was raking in millions. The girl was filthy rich, didn't need to work a day in her life. What was she doing working graveyard at some grimy, dilapidated convenience store? Despite her reluctance, Korra peered behind her, eyes flitting over to the register. Sure enough, there stood Asami, perfect as always even during the witching hours, striking up an amiable conversation with Mako. She swallowed and turned away.

"Who knew, right?" Bolin said, sticking a cap onto his drink and taking a big, obnoxious slurp.

Of course, it was just her luck that the girl she had an outrageous crush on was on shift the night she came in looking like she'd been hit by a train and dragged through the dumpster. She scowled as she capped her drink. It was too late to walk out, she wouldn't waste such a wonderful drink by pouring the whole thing out. She grit her teeth and made her way to the register, placing her slushie on the counter as she fished around in her pocket for money.

"Good evening, Korra," Asami greeted, frowning slightly at the girl as she took in her bruised and bloodied appearance. "What happened?"

Korra handed her a few bills, doing her best to avoid eyes contact. She shrugged. "Probending."

"I see," Asami nodded, sensing her hesitance and letting the subject drop. She gave her back change and moved onto Bolin.

"I didn't know you had a job," he said as he payed.

"Well, have to learn what it's like to have a job somewhere." Asami replied. "Can't rely on my father's money for everything."

Bolin nodded sagely. "Sucks you got stuck with the night shift though."

Asami laughed. "It's not too bad, hardly anyone comes in at this time anyway. Usually stoners, or the occasional overnight travelers." She glanced at Korra. "And brawlers, I suppose."

"Hey! Slushies are like, magic after a fight." Korra protested, though she was hardly angry. It was true this was the first place she went after a match. Well, unless she needed dire medical attention first. "And it's not my fault they schedule these things at the worst times ever."

"I've never been to a match before." Asami said, leaning against the counter. "I follow all the tournaments, but just never got around to going."

"Dude, you should totally go!" Bolin said.

"Korra does have a match next week, if you're free." Mako added.

Korra immediately froze up, a blush creeping up her neck. She hoped Asami would contribute it to exertion. What were those two boneheads thinking? She glared in their direction, noticing their smug expressions. They stared coolly back at her.

"I'd love to go, if it's alright with you, Korra." Asami said, snapping the girl back to reality.

"Oh, uh, sure. That's... that's fine."

"Perfect. It's a date." Asami handed Korra a napkin, which she cautiously accepted. "Hit me up with the details later."

After saying their goodbyes to their friends, the group headed out, climbing back into the car and starting for home. Korra stared at the napkin, 7 simple digits scrawled across it in Asami's neat, swirling handwriting. She blinked. What on earth just happened? It was a whirlwind in her mind, but she was pretty sure Bolin and Mako had set her up on a date. In which she would be beating the crap out of someone and/or getting the crap beat out of her.

"You know she totally digs you, right?" Bolin said, turning around to look at her.

"Mako, Bolin, what did you do?"

"We got you a date, because you're too hopeless to do it yourself."

"But what in spirit's name made you think taking her to my probending match was a good idea?!"

"So you can show off your fighting skills," Bolin answered, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Gotta impress her somehow."

Korra buried her face in her hands. She went for a drink and ended up with a date. What in the world had she gotten herself into?

**XXX**

**A/N:** I don't even know, man. I don't think there will be any rhyme or reason to these things.


	2. Vigilante in Custody

**Quick little note, when Korra refers to Tenzin as her uncle, his isn't related by blood. He's such a close family friend, and Korra looks to Katara as both a friend and as her grandmother, that Tenzin is like an uncle to her.**

* * *

**# 2: Vigilante in Custody**

Korra was screwed.

She shifted in the back seat of the car, trying to adjust her arms into a more comfortable position. The handcuffs scratched at her wrists and she sighed, staring dejectedly out the window, while the police officer in front glared holes in her head through the rear view mirror. Outside, people wandered the streets, enjoying their weekend in the warm summer weather, and a few staring at the disheartened teenager in the backseat of the police cruiser, heads shaking sadly at the scene.

Tenzin was going to kill her.

There was no way around it. The police were going to have to contact her legal guardian and/or parents. And considering her family was a few days journey to the North Pole, her uncle was the closest (almost) relative she had. And her was going to murder her. It hadn't even been her fault, she hardly did anything! Some punks were attempting to extort a poor merchant and she'd intervened and done what she did best: knock some heads. So what if some shop windows had been smashed and a few cars kinda sorta dented?

She glanced up front, wondering if she could talk her way out of this without alerting Tenzin. But the gray-haired officer seemed to mean business when she'd cuffed her, face stern, features drawn in a no-nonsense fashion. Their eyes met, steely green against worried blue, and Korra's heart sank. She was well and truly screwed.

The cruiser pulled up to the station, a grand old building cut of dark marble that shone, freshly polished and proud, a testament to crime fighting. The officer ushered her through the station, where a few people stared, but most didn't bat an eyelash, like teenagers rolled through here everyday. Actually, they probably did. She was put into a small room and unceremoniously shoved into a chair, hands chained to the table in front. This was serious. Heart attack serious.

"What is the matter with you? You think you can waltz in here and dole out vigilante justice like you own the place?"

"Look, ma'am, I was just passing through. I saw the man was in trouble and I couldn't let those morons beat that poor guy up."

"So you inform the police and let us handle it."

Korra threw her hands up as best she could, chains clinking loudly, the sound echoing in the small chambers. "How was I supposed to reach you? Call? With what phone?"

The officer ignored her. "Do you have any idea how much damage you have caused? On top of that, you resisted arrest and assaulted three officers."

"It was an accident," Korra protested. "They came at me and I panicked. It's reflexive!"

The officer raise an eyebrow, arms crossed, clearly unimpressed. Korra scowled. "Can I speak to the chief, please?"

"You're looking at her."

Korra's eyes widened and her jaw fell slack. "You mean you're Lin Beifong? As in _the_ Lin Beifong, daughter of _the_ Toph Beifong?" Good lord, she was so beyond screwed. She'd been taken in by the daughter of the most famous police chief in the city's history. She'd practically built the damn force from the ground up to be one of the best forces in the world. And Korra had managed to piss off the woman who ran the whole thing. The spirits definitely had her at the top of their shit list, there was no other way to explain her terrible luck. "Oh my God..."

Whatever response the chief had died on her lips as a red faced, _very_ pissed off Tenzin stormed into the room, fists clenched at his sides, stomping the ground as he went. Korra was positive this was her last moment alive as he loomed above her, eyebrows drawn down so far she feared they might cut his face in two. She knew it was impossible for steam to be coming out of a person's ears, but in that instant she was positive his ears were smoking. Then he stepped back and schooled his features, turning to face the chief. He bowed lightly. "Lin."

She regarded him coolly, evenly, like he was a distant friend she'd rather not see. "Tenzin. What is this delinquent doing in my city?"

"I haven't the slightest. She didn't inform me that she was here."

"I hitched a ride on a boat," Korra chipped in. The pair turned to stare at her, and she shrunk back slightly, frowning. "I actually didn't tell Tenzin, per say."

"So you presumed to show up on my doorstep and assumed I would let you live there." Tenzin asked.

"That was the plan, yeah."

Tenzin sighed, and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Lin, would you drop the charges on Korra, please?"

Lin crossed her arms and fixed Korra with a glare. "Fine. I will be lenient this one time. But get her the hell out of my city." She unlocked the handcuffs and Korra stood, rubbing her wrist softly, fingers trailing over the light red marks left. As she followed Tenzin out of the room, she looked back over her shoulder to stick out her tongue at the chief. When they were outside of the station, she expected Tenzin to round on her. Instead, he simply stopped outside the steps and turned to look at her. "What in the world were you thinking, Korra?"

Korra fiddled with her hands. She hadn't meant to cause so much trouble, for anyone. It had seemed like a good idea in theory, but she hadn't thought it through particularly well. Acted mostly on impulse and a rash hope that it would all go her way. "I was hoping you would teach me martial arts. Like real martial arts, not this street fighting style I've picked up. When you said you couldn't stay in the North Pole to teach me, that you were too busy, I figured I'd come here, make it easier for you."

"And you didn't tell anyone?"

"No...? Well, I told my parents, but I may have bent the truth a tiny bit and said you were fine with this."

Tenzin exhaled deeply, crossing his arms, and was terrifyingly silent for the longest time. Korra tried to gauge his thought process, but his expression gave nothing away. Was he going to send her back? Of course he was, she sailed halfway across the world without money, clothes or a way back, on the false hope that he would take her in just like that. On top of that, she'd gotten herself arrested not even half an hour into her time in the city. She hung her head and waited.

"Korra..."

"What?"

"I-" Tenzin paused, stroking his beard. "I suppose I will allow you to stay at the Temple."

"No way?" Korra's eyes lit up and she gathered him up in a bone-crushing hug, lifting him up off the ground in her excitement. "Thank you!"

Tenzin coughed lightly and Korra set him back down. He held up his hand. "I will allow you to stay for the summer. Anything after I cannot guarantee."

Korra grinned. "Got it." She looked over her shoulder, back up the steps of the station. "Just one more thing..." A she spoke, the doors opened, and a very unamused young officer strolled out, a massive white dog pouncing around at his heels, jumping up and pawing at his chest, no doubt trying to lick every inch of his face.

"Is this your dog, ma'am?"

"Naga!" Korra called, and the dog immediately turned around, ears perked up. When she saw her owner, she bounded down the steps, tackling Korra to the ground and furiously licking her face, tail wagging at a million miles an hour. Korra laughed, pushing at Naga's chest until the dog calmed down enough for her to speak. She titled her head back slightly and looked up at Tenzin. "So, what now?"

"Now, we head back to the island to get you settled, and inform your parents that you're alright."

"You aren't gonna tell them about this little incident, are you?"

Tenzin shook his head. "No. I have my own punishment in mind." He smiled slightly at her look of horror. "You have a lot of early mornings ahead of you."

**XXX**

**A/N:** How original, right?


	3. Sé-What?

**#3: Sé-What?**

Korra didn't mind babysitting for her Uncle.

She liked kids, and they liked her. She got along quite well with his children, and, for the most part, could keep them under enough control to leave the Temple standing. Korra could certainly understand why Tenzin and Pema needed short vacations every now and then. Spirits know how much grief she alone causes him, never mind three hyper-active kids. So, when Tenzin and Pema go out for the evening and entrust the kids to her, she gladly accepts.

It started out well. Jinora was inside, head buried in a book as usual. Ikki and Meelo had occupied themselves with harassing the acolytes, leaving Korra free to practice her forms in the temple's courtyard. She ran through each motion in her mind, imagining their implications on an opponent. She had the forms down pat. But when it came to fighting a real live person in the flesh, fists swinging and legs kicking, her instincts kicked in, form went out the window, and she fell into her natural habit of ducking, weaving and straight up punching.

She was about to run through them again when the tell-tale patter of feet alerted her to the children's presence. Korra only had enough time to open her eyes before Ikki jumped onto her back like a Koala, legs wrapped around her waist and arms around her neck. Meelo latched onto her leg and she stumbled, arms swinging in an attempt to regain her balance. The pair laughed maniacally as Korra steadied herself. "Okay, you got me," she said. "What do you want?"

"Let's have a séance!"

"What?!" Korra spluttered, caught completely off guard. Thank the spirits she wasn't drinking anything in that moment or she'd have choked for sure.

"A séance." Ikki repeated with a smile that was felt more than seen by Korra. "You know, communicating with spirits and stuff."

"I know what a séance is," Korra managed, still dumbstruck by the kids suggestions. The question is, how in the world did they know what a séance was? A their age, she could have hardly spoken such a word, let alone understand it. She sighed. She'd been tasked with babysitting, not summoning demons while her uncle and aunt were out. The last thing they needed was to come home to a haunted house and possessed children. "We're not having one."

"Aww, c'mon Korra!" Ikki pleaded, echoed by Meelo. "Jinora is already setting it up."

"You got Jinora in on this?" Great. Even the most sensible of the trio had been sucked into this asinine idea.

"Pleeeeeeeease?" Ikki said. "We just wanna talk. I'll make Jinora promise not to curse or hex anyone."

Korra rubbed at her eyes, shaking her head vigorously. This was a terrible idea. She knew not to mess with this stuff. But... the spirit world was closed off, and she'd only ever heard of a weak link being formed, just enough to communicate, not let anything through. Besides, only a few people have actually managed to get into the Spirit World. So long as the kids didn't start some kind of demonic ritual while her back was turned, what was the worst that could happen? They likely wouldn't get anything anyway. After all, she was hardly the most spiritual person out there.

"Fine, fine," she relented. The kids cheered. "But only for a while. Your father will have my head if he finds out I let you talk to the dead."

The pair refused to let go, so Korra had to hobble inside of the temple, through the kitchen and dining room, into one of the meditation rooms, where Jinora sat at a low table, which was surrounded by pillows, incense burning slowly in the middle, accompanied by flickering candles. It seemed rather legitimate, though none of them, save maybe for Jinora, had no actual idea how a séance worked. Meelo and Ikki hopped off and took their seats around the table, beckoning for her to come. Korra rubbed at the back of her neck, hesitating, before taking a seat and joining hands.

"For the record, you are like the coolest baby sitter ever!" Ikki whispered.

"Yeah, up until we all end up haunted," Korra muttered, quiet enough for no one to hear. "Now what?" she said, louder.

"Close your eyes," Jinora ordered. "Let me do the talking."

Korra obeyed, but not before casting a dubious look about the room. This wasn't going to work. Never the less, she closed her eyes as instructed, while Jinora began a small chant, calling upon any spirits to make their presence known. She repeated the instructions multiple times, pausing in between to wait for some kind of response. To her right and left, she felt Meelo and Ikki squirming, anxious for something, anything, to happen. They were getting bored. At least a half hour passed with no notable events, save for Meelo falling asleep. Finally, a frustrated Jinora gave up and they all dropped hands.

Korra opened her eyes and nearly jumped out of her skin. "What the fuck!"

"Korra said a swear!" Ikki giggled.

Korra stared at the table, where a small, basketball size being sat. It had no shape, just a swirling, bubbling black mass that seemed to ooze before being sucked back into it's body. Dark black ovals sat where eyes normally would, unblinking, staring curiously around the room. What was that? What did they just do? All horror movies came crashing into her mind at once. She knew how this ended, and it was grisly.

"You can see it too?" Jinora asked, voice filled with wonder. She reached a hand towards the being.

"Don't touch it!"

"Why? It's a harmless little cat." Jinora ran a hand over the being's head. "It's just saying hello."

"That thing is not a cat."

Jinora frowned at her. "Yes it is."

"It's a blob."

"I see a cat. Maybe you aren't able to see it as well as I am."

"Whatever, it doesn't matter. We have a spirit. Inside our house. In our world. Am I the only one who sees a problem with that?"

"What're you two arguing about?" Ikki leaned over Korra's shoulder and stared hard at the table, unimpressed. "Are you hiding something?"

"You can't see it?' Jinora asked.

"See what?" Ikki gasped. "You are hiding something from me." She jumped over Korra's shoulder and onto the table, sending the spirit sprinting out of the room. "Reveal yourself, spirits!"

"Come back!" Jinora jumped to her feet and sprinted out of the room, down the hall, after the spirit.

"Jinora!" Korra twisted around painfully, but the girl was gone. "Ikki!" She turned back to the girl, who stood, disappointed, atop the table. Thankfully, she hadn't knocked over any of the candles. "Get down." The girl obeyed, and Korra quickly blew out the flames, glancing over at the comatose Meelo, before looking back at the door. "Ikki, stay with your brother."

"But I wanna go spirit hunting."

"The last thing I need is Meelo running amok."

"Please," Ikki begged, pulling out the puppydog eyes. She looked so pathetic in that instant, eyes watering with crocodile tears, that Korra couldn't help but give in.

"Fine, fine, just stay close. I don't want to explain to Tenzin that you got hauled off to the Spirit World."

Korra stepped out into the hallway, following the path she last saw Jinora take, padding cautiously across the floor. Ikki followed suite, albeit far louder, scouting for any signs of the spirits she obviously couldn't see. Korra checked every room she came across, looking for signs of the girl, but every place she checked was uninhabited by either living or dead. Irrationality started to get the better of her, and she wondered if it was really possibly for spirits to lead a living person to away their side. Did she allow Jinora to get spirited away? She quickened her pace, throwing open the doors to the courtyard, and just about had a heart attack. "Wan's dimpled buttcheeks!" She hissed.

There were hundreds of them, multicolored blobs of varying shifting shapes and sizes, strewn lazily about the courtyard. And in the middle of them all, smiling and laughing, was Jinora. The spirits all made a slow convergence on her. Were they going to-

"Korra"! Jinora called. "Come on. They just wanna play!"

"Play?"

"Yeah. They've been here forever, waiting for us to notice them. That séance must have strengthened our ability to communicate, and now we can see them."

"I can't see anything!" Ikki whined. "We gotta do another séance!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold up." Korra said. "You mean they've been here all along? We didn't break open a portal to the Spirit World or anything like that?"

Jinora laughed. "No. Don't worry. I guess the Temple must be located in a weaker place, the barrier between our worlds must be thinner here. They've been coming and going for ages."

Korra's shoulders sagged in relief and she sat down heavily. How was she going to explain to Tenzin that his daughter could now see spirits? If he found out she allowed a séance, and on top of that, the séance allowed Jinora to speak with spirits, she would flay her alive, pacifist monk or not. She would get lectured for hours on end about everything last way the séance could have gone wrong. And then he would kill her, and she'd be the one haunting the Temple. "I am so dead."

"Don't worry Korra, my dad will be overjoyed that I can see spirits, just like grandpa Aang."

"Yeah, maybe, but I allowed kids to perform a séance. I let you talk me into talking to the dead. Who knows what could have happened? For all we know there's a portal to hell in the basement."

"We don't have a basement."

"That's not the point. Whatever. Just- just don't tell your dad, and we should be fine."

"Who should be fine?" Pema asked, as she and Tenzin strolled onto the courtyard, looking relaxed and rejuvenated, all the stress that seemed permanently etched in Tenzin's face gone. He was actually smiling, for the first time in a long while.

Korra glared at the two girls, daring them to say anything. The two parents looked on, confused by the display, and curious. Jinora stood still, though the spirits swam around, played with her hair, tried to get her attention. Ikki looked about ready to burst, face red as she held her breath, before she let it all out in a stream of words. "Korra let us have a séance and we called and called and called but no spirits came so we thought it didn't work and then Korra and Jinora saw the spirits but I couldn't and I really wanna see them because they're all around and also Korra says we summoned a portal to hell in the basement and this place may be haunted and we may be possessed by demons!"

Korra slapped a hand to her forehead and groaned.

**XXX**

**A/N:** Korra may not be allowed to babysit for a while.


	4. Call It a Gut Feeling

**#4: Call It a Gut Feeling**

When Asami had asked Korra out for a date this... was not what she had in mind.

Arms raised defensively in front of her, circling her girlfriend slowly in a tattered ring, ready for a no holds barred fight until one of them was unconscious or tapped out, the thought that this was how the night would go hardly crossed her mind. It certainly wasn't something she would have agreed to. On principle, she declined every fight against a friend. Slamming a right hook into your bestie's face was something she religiously avoided.

But when they had arrived, and Asami had revealed her true motives, she'd laid a convincing hand, and Korra found herself going along with the plan. Now, as she eyed Asami from across the ring, she was seriously rethinking this whole thing. Asami was rising quickly through the ranks of probending, gaining swift fame, and not just for her fighting capabilities. Beauty and brawn, it seemed, won over hearts and minds. The match tonight was nothing more than a fight for pride (mainly, Korra's pride). No title or money to be had, save for the betters.

Why had she gone along with this? It wasn't that she was afraid of hurting Asami. They'd sparred roughly before, and her girlfriend was tough as nails. The pair could easily kick one another's ass. Rather, she didn't want Mr. Sato to think she went around beating Asami and others up for fun. Mr. Sato hated her enough already without that false stigma hanging around her head.

But alas, it was too late to back out now. The crowd fell silent, last minute bets taken care of. Korra sized Asami up. With the two of them in the ring, this could easily result in broken bones. While Asami had advantageous height, Korra had more muscle. She could swing around a lot of mass, and packed a canon load of power in each of her swings. Hit the right places and she could put Asami in a cast. However, where she had power and muscle, Asami had speed and agility. Her lithe form lacked Korra's amount of muscle, but she could still pack a punch. On top of that, her flexibility shot Korra's out of the water. She could easily dodge Korra's slow, heavy hitting blows. Her specialty was take downs, making people tap out. One wrong move on either of their part during a take down and Korra could easily be having to explain why Tenzin was paying medical bills. And, to top it all off, Asami had been learning martial arts since she was in second grade. Put all this together and you having the makings of a terrible idea.

The bell rang, and the match began.

Korra swung her left fist out in a wide arc, aimed at Asami's temple, curbing the move at the last minute to pull back her strength. Testing the waters. Asami ducked, landing a hard roundhouse kick on Korra's side. Looks like she was going all in after all. Korra stepped back, raising her arms to guard and prowled the arena, watching for any telltale signs of Asami's next strike. Her girlfriend shot out a hand, towards Korra's throat, which she blocked using her forearm and retaliated, causing Asami to jump back. The pair traded blows, some dodged, others blocked, and a few finding their marks. Korra had split Asami's lip with a suckerpunch. Asami had landed a blow that was surely going to be a blackeye. Korra threw a punch, intending for it to be a feign, but Asami grabbed her arm, spun around, and flipped Korra right over her shoulder in an impressive show of strength.

The move surprised Korra and she hit the ground hard, the impact jarring her shoulders and stunning her. It was enough for Asami to capitalize and she immediately went in for a hold. Asami put one leg across Korra's neck, the other just over her lower ribs, grabbed her arm and pulled, leaning back until the nearly touched the mat. Korra hissed at the pain the shot through her arm, muscles straining as they were pulled beyond their comfort. Her hand hovered over the mat, a few short taps and she would be out. But she wouldn't go down with just a whimper. If her pride was on the line, she would put on one hell of a show. So she bucked her shoulders, using her superior strength to force Asami up and off the mat until she released Korra's arm and rolled back and onto her feet.

Korra scrambled back and rose, rolling her arm around as they prowled. Asami was sizing her up once more, and thousand different holds and means of making Korra tap out running through her head. Korra smiled. That was impressive. It was the fastest someone had taken her down in a match. Asami played for keeps. They traded blows again, locked in a back and forth game. Korra was cautious now, changed her tactics. She didn't want to get in to close and fail to get out. If Asami grabbed her and managed to get her on the floor, she knew it would be game over. Asami wouldn't make the same mistake twice. The hits were vicious, and when they landed, it was a catastrophe. Asami landed a blow that set Korra's nose dripping with blood, while Korra tossed a powerful kick that had connected with Asami's thigh. It was already beginning to bruise.

They were both running out of steam by now. It was going to have to end, and soon. Korra saw an opening, a crack in Asami's defense and threw out her fist, putting all the force she could muster behind it. But Asami dodged, and the attack went right past her. She grabbed Korra's arm and pulled her back, using her own vicious force coupled with Korra's own momentum to give a solid knee to the gut. Korra doubled over, wind knocked right out of her lungs. All around he, she heard the crowd gasp. The sound of the impact must have been audible to garner such a response. She struggled to compose herself, to not throw up all over the ring. But when she raised her head, she saw a fist coming right for her. It connected with her temple, sent her crashing to the floor, and then everything went dark.

Korra came to slowly, ears ringing, head spinning and stars dancing across the edges of her vision. Her friends hovered over her, but they were doubled, their edges blurred and they moved in slow motion. She tried to sit up, but that made everything worse, and a hand pushed her back down. "Take it easy," Asami said, voice far away, like she was speaking through a mouthful of cotton. She held a bottle of water to Korra's lips and she drank hungrily.

Asami instructed her to lie down for a while longer, and it took half an hour before Korra's vision cleared and her hearing returned to normal. It was then that she took in Asami's appearance. Her face had been cleaned, blood washed away, but her lip was still split. Aside from that glaring wound, there was only minor scrapes and bruises, and she seemed no worse for the wear. But most of the injuries Korra inflicted feel below the neck line, where no one could see. "Oh, spirits," Korra groaned. "Your father is going to kill me. When he finds out I was the one who got you into pro-bending and did this, he will have my head. On a platter."

"Don't worry, Korra. A split lip can easily be explained. You should worry about yourself."

"Yeah," Bolin chipped in, from somewhere out of her sight. "You kind of look like a car ran over you. Repeatedly."

"That's pretty much how I feel. I forgot how hard you hit, 'Sami."

Asami laughed, leaning down to place a gentle kiss on Korra's throbbing temple. "I play for keeps, hon. We had the medic check you out, he said you don't appear to have a concussion or any serious injury."

"That's good. I'd hate to explain to Tenzin why my girlfriend gave me a head injury. By the way, my stomach feels as if someone punched a hole through it and tore out my insides. Could you kiss it and make it better?" Asami shook her head and smiled, but complied, lifting up Korra's shirt and ghosting her lips over Korra's stomach, which was mottled purple and yellow, an unsightly bruise. Even the light pressure made Korra flinch and hiss through clenched teeth, and Asami pulled away with a whispered apology. "Okay, maybe in a few days."

"I know you guys are having a coupley moment," Bolin interrupted. "But we should probably get going. It's late and the ring is shutting down soon."

"Alright, alright," Korra conceded, tugging Asami close. "Just one more kiss for quick healing."

**XXX**

**A/N:** Get a room you two. Or at least some self control.


End file.
